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Monthly Archives: April 2012

Hi guys! Today I have an “old” polish. Remember Wet N Wild’s collection based on TV shows? It’s still in stores, but people have already moved on. Well, I bought practically the whole collection, and completely forgot about the random silver one. The other day I was re-organizing my nail polishes (again) and came across this. Based on the icy cold, bleak, rainy weather we were having, I wanted a bright cheery color that fit in with the season, and voila!

Wet N Wild Silvivor is a super bright silver foil. This baby is practically a mirror. This applied pretty thin on the first coat, opaque but somewhat dull on the second coat, and vibrant and foil-tastic on the third. I don’t usually have to do three coats on a foil, but this is way worth it. Sure, there are plenty of silver foils out there, but this is probably the most accessible and affordable from a quality brand. Not everyone has a store that sells Color Club in their backyard. 🙂

Now… when I say this is near-mirror status, I’m serious. There’s no real “reflection,” but it picks up shapes and colors. It’s crazy. The only problem I have with this is… it’s silver. Silver never looks good on me. I’m a gold/bronze type of girl. Silver picks up all of the blotches in my confused Italian-Irish skin. 😉

In other news, my hands have been in cuticle rehab — no polish, exposure to harsh chemicals, and no neglect for an entire week. It’s paying off. They were in a tragic state after swatching the Salon Perfect Blossoming with Color collection and the horrible weather lately. My hands are so dry still, but my cuticles aren’t threatening to quit. So… yaaay! If I’m absent for a period of time, it’s because I’m only about three weeks from graduating college! I’ve had almost no time to do anything, and while it’s exhausting, it’s nice to be busy.

Hi! I have a press release for you today, but it’s by a brand I’ve never tried! These colors, however, look so delicious, I just had to post them. I bring you Salon Perfect’s Blooming with Color collection for this spring!

Los Angeles, CA (April 2012) – Did the cold winter months keep your fingers and toes under wraps? A fresh manicure with a bright, energetic polish is the perfect pick-me-up to bring your tips and toes out of hibernation. Bursting with vibrant brights and sweet pastels, the all-new Salon Perfect®Blooming with Color nail polish collection is sure to put a spring in your step!

Perfectly Peach | Delicate peach

Lemon Zing | Sunny Yellow

Kiwi Lime | Vibrant green

Blue Mint | Cheerful mint

Berry Blue | Classic periwinkle

Purple Sorbet | Dark lilac

Lavender Icing | Soft lilac

Spicy Tomato | Juicy red

Tangy Tangerine | Tart orange

Sour Apples | True blue-green

Blue Raspberry | Vivid azure

Plum Sorbet | Magenta with purple shimmer

Berry Pink | Bold flamingo pink

Bubblegum | Honeysuckle pink

Available: May

Where: Walmart stores

Price: $2.98

This is a limited edition collection, so make sure you grab what you can! And for the price, you can’t really go wrong. I’ll be picking up Perfectly Peach, Lemon Zing, Kiwi Lime, Blue Mint, Berry Blue, Sour Apples, Blue Raspberry, and Bubblegum. (Yeah, a few. 🙂 )

I’m so excited! It’s officially been a year since I joined Birchbox. I’m so happy with what I’ve gotten in the past year. It’s opened my eyes to brands and products I’d have never even thought of trying. In fact, in my first Birchbox, last April, was a product that changed my life- it singlehandedly cured my face of any of the problematic acne I’ve had since tweenhood. (Dear any Pangea Organics product, GET IN MY BATHROOM.)

GOkay, so I finally got to swatching the new Crackle Glitters collection! Busy holiday weekend, how has your been?

L-R: Gleam Me Up, Glam-More, Luminous Lavender, and Jade-d

Picture taken in direct sunlight while I absolutely hate the feel of crackle with no topcoat, it looks so velvety and warm, even if it’s a blue or other cool color. They crackle quickly, and they dry super quick, for those who don’t know crackle. While I liked crackle when Black Shatter first came out, I got super sick of it really quick. But this is different. It woke me up. Instead of really looking like crackle, it looks like parted glitter, if that makes sense.

Gleam Me Up: Bright sky blue

Glam-More: Bold fuchsia

Luminous Lavender: Luscious light purple

Jade-d: Radiant bright green

I definitely agree with these descriptions, now that they’re on my nails and dry.

The Glam-More is truly the most velvety, I want to try it over Zoya Harlow and see what happens. I also want to try Jade-d over a holo like L8R G8R and see how that goes together. Luminous Lavender is pretty, but takes a back burner to the other three. Gleam Me Up is a super pretty color that I think I’d like over white, maybe a slate blue like Sea Spray or Kinetic Candy.

The texture of these are perfect. Thick enough to cover the entire nail with an adequate amount in time for it to crackle well, but not so thick that it doesn’t spread. At first Gleam Me Up, Jade-d, and Luminous Lavender look pretty sheer, but when they crack, all the glitter “huddles up” into opaque velvety goodness. Glam-More is by far the most opaque. I’d actually like all of these colors, with these textures/finishes, in a “full” nail polish.

These polishes are fantastic matte, but look how pretty these little sparklers are with a topcoat.

HELLO SPARKLES! These are one of the more livelier glitters I’ve seen. They sparkle so much. They’re mostly one color of glitter, I think. I’m not sure if there’s some silver, or if it’s just so shiny.

China Glaze Papaya Punch is a melon orange color. This photographs pretty much straight orange, but it has a pinkish pull. Not coral, but it’s very melon. There’s a chip in my index finger, but that was there from the beginning, as was the “tip wear.” I think my topcoat or the weather caused some shrinking or something. It’s weird. I don’t know. Maybe it was playing an April Fool’s joke on me.

This is in direct sunlight. You can almost see the “melon” I’m talking about in my pinky here.

This color is so pretty. It’s a little bit different than my other oranges, and it’s very creamy and shiny. It applied very well, and dried quickly. The shrinking or instant chipping(?) may be a new topcoat I used, but I’m not sure. But this is a delicious spring-into-summer color, which was fitting the weather here, but now it’s turned cold again! If you don’t like the weather in Central New York… wait a minute. ;D

Hello! Another Birchbox post today! This one is pretty good! Here’s February 2012’s Birchbox.

Birchbox says:

Hi there,

Despite what greeting card companies would have you believe, February is a great time to focus on yourself. (And indulge in fancy chocolates, of course.) This month’s samples are designed to highlight your awesomeness — and maybe attract a little attention. We’ve chosen exciting items from brands that are changing the way we think about familiar products.

BENTA BERRY | G-1 Moisturizing Face Cream | Full size: $110

This French skincae line is brand-new to the U.S. Try their all-natural moisturizer, which regulates oil levels and keeps skin matte.

This is so nice. So nice. I ran out of my usual moisturizer (Biore’s SPF 15 Moisture Lotion) and tried this for two week, so let my skin get used to it so I can see it’s true effects. It kept my face smooth and moisturized but also kept it matte. This is the first moisturizer I’ve found that can keep that balance. You don’t need a lot, in face this sample is tiny, even for Birchbox, and I still have almost half left. A little less than half. And it smells amazing. It has that expensive, all-natural, rosy-type scent. I can’t exactly name it, but it’s so delicious. It makes you feel so special. Of course, this is really expensive, at $110 for the full size, and I won’t be purchasing it, but it was very nice to try. If you can afford it, I strongly recommend it for normal to dry skin.

colorescience pro | glow and go Travel Puff | Full size compact: $50

Use these handy, powder-filled puffs to keep your skin shine-free and luminous while you’re out on the town.

I haven’t tried this yet. The color I got I is “All Even (Med. Tone Pale) – Everyday to Camoulage Coverage.” It sounds a bit “summery” so I’m going to wait a little bit and try this. I’ll keep you guys updated!

EYE ROCK | Designer Liner | 2 packs of 4: $13

Stop wrestling with the liquid liner and achieve a perfect cat eye with these single-use stick on liner strips.

I haven’t tried these, they’re huge! I might try them sometime.

LA FRESH | Eco-Beauty Waterproof Makeup Remover | 18 wipes, $9.99

Even the most stubborn mascara will disappear when you use these biodegradable wipes, laced with moisturizing jojoba and other plant oils.

My Birchbox came with two of these, and just those two are worth 10 bucks! These are nice. The one time I tried them, I can’t remember if I had waterproof mascara on, but it removed everything without any raccoon eyes or smears everywhere. They didn’t sting my eyes, and my eyes are pretty sensitive. They left my face feeling really soft. I might actually buy these for on the go or when I’m too lazy to fully clean my face. They are really nice and smell good. They’re a good size too! Not a wimpy little wipe.

LIFESTYLE EXTRA | Nail file

There’s no shame in filing your nails in public with this heart-shaped, neon looker.

I love this! It has two sides, the pink and a brown? Maroon? Rust? colored side.

Decidedly rust colored. The rust side is more corse, while the pink is smoother. I actually think the design of this is absolutely genius! The taper at the bottom of the heart fits in all the tiny places, and it’s big enough to hold onto without scratching your nails where you don’t want it. Nail file science. Also… it’s cute.

BIRCHBOX DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

Six free tunes from Green River Ordinance, an indie rock band poised to hit the spotlight.

They aren’t bad. Not my favorite, but not too bad. They have that indie sound that can work mainstream. It’s not bad.

Well, there’s February! I think I’m caught up! Next up is China Glaze’s Papaya Punch and Hey Sailor, and some swatches of their new Crackle Glitters!

Hi! Today I have a press release from China Glaze for their new collection of crackle nail polishes, and this time, they’re glitter! I actually have these in front of me (swatches being posted tomorrow or Saturday) so I’ll tell you how amazinly sparkly these are to the eye.

SPARK YOUR SUMMER STYLE!

China Glaze® Introduces Four New Crackle Glitter Polishes May 2012

Los Angeles, CA – (March 2012): Sparkle all summer long with China Glaze®’s new Crackle Glitters collection. Once again taking crackle technology to the next level, this third-generation polish pairs the edgy innovation of crackling nail lacquer with glamorous glitters.

Create glamorously different looks with just one sweep of China Glaze® CrackleGlitters. Layer over different base colors to create bold styles. Use a lighter coat to create a fine crackle, a thicker coat for a deep shatter effect. Brush sideways or on an angle to create different looks. As versatile and edgy as China Glaze®’s biggest celebrity fans (LadyGaga, Rihanna, NicoleRitchie and KellyOsbourne, to name a few), China Glaze® CrackleGlitters add a spark(le) to one of the hottest nail art trends!

Click the pictures for full size!

Glam-More | Bold fuchsia

I agree that this is a bold fuchsia, however it does seem to lean a bit more purple. Super dense and super sparkly, which comes in handy on the nail (SPOILER ALERT)

Gleam Me Up | Bright sky blue

This is definitely a sky blue, though it’s not as vivid as the bottle picture shows. It’s a thinner glitter, which translates on the nail (SPOILER ALERT). It’s also a light sky blue in the light, then a darker, stormier color in the shade. Grayer, maybe.

Jade-d | Radiant bright green

This is the pale alligator/tree green that China Glaze loves, it’s super close to L8R G8R and Laser Lime in color, but without being holographic, of course. It’s very very spring-y/

Hello again! Glad to see you! Today I have for you the January 2012 Birchbox. This was a pretty good box, and I really liked most of the products, including the one full size product! Also of note, Birchbox is no longer including the amount that is the full size product. (Example: Full size: 30 fl oz, $50. Now it just says “Full size: $50) I’m not a big fan of the change, I like to imagine what the size would be like to determine how crazy the price is. 🙂

BORGHESE | CuraForte Moisture Intesnsifier | Full size: $67.50

This serum proves that sidekicks deserve a recognition too. Apply before moisturizing or mix it with your favorite cream to help actives work harder.

I’ve just started using this last night, and I like it! It really kicks up the moisture. This is what I’ve needed. I’ll probably post an update on this is a few weeks (or when this runs out). While I probably won’t be able to afford the full size, I’ll be looking for an alternative, STAT.

Juicy Couture | Viva La Juicy | Full size: $69 – 89

This scent will bring out your inner girly girl. Wild berries flirt with mandarin and soft floral notes to create a fragrance that’s fun and happy.

I love this. I absolutely love this. I feel like this is a fall/winter scent though, even though it’s so bright and cheery looking. It’s sweet but still musky enough for me to like it. Of course if a perfume is described as “floral,” “mandarin,” “lemon,” or “sandalwood,” I’m all in. 😉

This is perfect. Absolutely perfect. It has a fairly strong scent, but I enjoy it. It blends in quickly and it makes anything it touches perfectly moisturized and soft. For my personal body product, it’s my holy grail moisturizer. I will most likely pay the $32 for the full size. It’s that good. And the jar is frosted with a soft gold lid. So luxe!

stila | Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner | Full size: $20

It’s time to put down the black liner. This colorful pigment makes eyes stand out and stays put for hours.

The shade I got was called Peacock. This is full sized! And it’s wonderful! It’s extremely opaque, it’s bright enough to be noticeable, and yet it can melt away into a darker smokey eye for a nice twist.

Peacock is a dark blue. It’s technically a teal, but it’s a super-blue-leaning teal. It has amazing shimmer and it’s opaque in one swipe across the waterline. And I have watery eyes. It wears really well on me, though I haven’t actually worn it for 8+ hours before. But it lasts a good 4 hours without even budging, so I can only guess that it’ll be in just about as good of a condition.

LÄRABAR | Mini Bar

You won’t find any artificial fillers in these natural bars: just dried fruits, nuts, and other wholesome ingredients. They’re as tasty as they are healthy.

I ate it. Guilty. Didn’t even get a picture of the packaging. I’ll bet it’s rare if I can ever get a picture of food on here. I love eating. This bar was definitely natural. You can plainly see all of the ingredients. I like that. However, it wasn’t… my favorite thing I’ve ever eaten. But it wasn’t bad. Just not my cup of tea.

Hello my pretties! …Wow. That’s wicked witch sorta ruined that phrase for everyone didn’t she? Ugh. What an evil person. I’m better than her. Because I have pictures for everyone to see. Today’s are more catch-up pictures of all my Birchboxes. Only 2 more besides this left! Yeah, progress! Let’s get to it.